Technology has changed the way we live our lives and in many ways, it has altered the way we drive. Today’s cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans and commercial work trucks come with a bounty of extra features designed to increase comfort, convenience and functionality but are all these changes and advancements beneficial for drivers today or are some of them hurting us? Today, we’re covering it all… the good, the bad and the ugly of car technology.

The Good

Cars have evolved immensely over the last 120 years as well as the features that have become standard within them. With technological advancements in materials and a shift on keeping passengers in motor vehicles out of harm’s way; today’s cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans have become safer than they ever have been before. Particularly, over the course of just the last decade, there have been incredible developments in design, technology and fabrication that have brought us some impressive advancements, reducing the severity of collisions even if they do still take place.

Overall, vehicles have become safer than they have ever been in history, in large part due to leaps in materials used to build the cars, vans, trucks and SUVs. Advancements in steel, along with strategic use of other materials such as aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber, now allow engineers to design structures that can dissipate and redirect crash forces. These advancements have lessened the severity of impact on human bodies by distributing it into the vehicle, thus saving lives. In addition, many safety features which were only options before are becoming standard today including airbags, backup cameras, electronic stability controls, tire pressure monitors and daytime running lights.

The Bad

While vehicles have become safer with technological advances in safety features and government mandates for features to be standard on every vehicle rather than simply being an added feature buyers can opt for as they have been in the past. And yet vehicular fatalities have been on the rise. In fact, from 2015-2017 facilities from car accidents rose 7% each year after they had dropped in 2008 and only rising slightly in the years to follow. What has been the most predominant blame for this spike and continued rise in serious accidents? Distracted driving.

Sadly, even as our vehicles have become safer than they’ve ever been, one of the most important factors remains the driver who is manning the vehicle. Unfortunately, in this case, technology has become a bane on our existence. With smartphone use on the rise and not stopping anytime soon, it has become a large factor in this rising trend but it’s not the only one. Many people (80% to be exact) believe that hands-free talking, texting or navigating are safer but this couldn’t be further than from the truth. The reality is, talk to text can surprisingly be more distracting than by texting by hand! In over 30 studies, it has been proven time after time that the brain remains distracted despite the hands now being free. Additionally, 53% of people of U.S. driver’s believe that hands-free units and infotainment centers in dashboards must be safer if they are built into current vehicles. This myth has propagated a larger problem where drivers feel overconfident using these in-vehicle systems when they should instead be limiting their usage. While infotainment centers are surely going to remain, an awareness that they are more likely to lead us to being distracted behind the wheel can largely help make a significant difference in reducing the number of crashes caused by using them while driving.

The Ugly

Autonomous vehicles have been discussed at length for the last decade but more recently, they have become the focal point for many companies who are determined to create the first fully automated vehicle and are in a race to accomplish it before anyone else. But while companies like Tesla, Uber and many car manufacturers have been rushing to test experimental self-driving vehicles and autonomous systems on roads, some testing has been suspended due to incidents involving self-driving vehicles, including fatalities. These accidents have called into question the capability for artificial intelligence to correctly understand what is directly in their path and knowing the best course of action to take in order to avoid them in every situation. Another conundrum speaks more to the ethical question if machines can make human decisions as concisely. One of these problems is the “trolley problem” which requires the autonomous system to choose between two potential victims in an accident. Leaving many to wonder… are machines fully ready to make these kinds of difficult choices? Based on the suspension of further testing in many cities, the resounding answer is not quite yet.

If you want to find a reliable, safe vehicle without the hurdles you run into at other dealerships we invite you to check out our current inventory of Used Trucks, Vans, SUVs, Cars, Commercial Vans and Work Trucks. At Broadmoor Motors, we specialize in finding the right used minivan, truck, SUV or car to fit your personal or business needs, all while giving you the best deal we can on both your purchase and trade in. Our family has been in the car business for over 60 years and continues to be family owned and operated with locations in Hastings, Wayland and Caledonia. We offer financing to those who qualify and stand behind most of our vehicles with a warranty. We will find you the right vehicle to fit both your budget and your needs!

Let Broadmoor Motors save you time and money when buying your next quality, Pre-Owned Car, Family Minivan, All Wheel Drive SUV, Commercial Van or Work Truck. Whether you need to replace your current car, minivan, truck or SUV with a great used vehicle, we can help you out. Broadmoor Motors is here for all your Car Sales, and Auto Service needs in the Byron Center, Kentwood, Caledonia, Middleville, Hastings, greater Grand Rapids, Wayland and Barry County area. Give us a call at 616.698.9595 in Caledonia, 269.397.2400 in Wayland or 269.320.6304 in Hastings to see how we can get you back on the road!

Keeping our children safe is the paramount concern for parents but as kids develop into teens, it can be much more challenging to maintain control over their safety while also giving them the independence that comes from having their own driver’s license. Even as vehicles have become much more advanced with safety features designed to decrease the risk of a serious accident, statistically more and more teens are being involved in fatal accidents every year. Distracted driving is a large factor in this increase, with infotainment centers and smartphone use as a large contributing factor.

But before you toss your teen’s phone out the window or lock it at home when handing over the car keys, it’s possible to use that smartphone to your advantage! Many tech-savvy parents are turning to apps designed to provide them with information not only on where their young, teen driver goes but on how they are driving in order to get there. Check out these top apps to help keep your teen driver safe…

Life360 – Wildly popular with both parents of drivers and non-driving youth alike, Life360 can begin as a way to keep tabs on your youngster with real time map locations but still evolve into monitoring your young driver’s habits once they earn their driver’s license. Compatible with both Android and iPhone users, Life360 can offer information ranging from crash detection, hard braking, rapid acceleration, track speed, phone usage and in the US, crime hotspots and alerts. Users receive weekly driving reports plus the distinct advantage of unlimited place alerts so you never have to worry if your child has come or gone safely from the house, work or school. A free version offers some of these features but if you would like to enjoy them all, there is a monthly fee.

EverDrive – From their website, EverDrive boasts… “Just download EverDrive and take your mobile with you. EverDrive passively monitors driving habits and delivers diagnostics for later review. Adjust driving skills to improve your score. You could win a driving skills contest or sweepstakes, or bragging rights among friends.” EverDrive is a FREE smartphone application for both iOS and Android users that monitors acceleration, braking, cornering, phone use, time of day, and location of your young driver.

Canary – Similar to Life360 and EverDrive, Canary monitors phone activity and notifies parents immediately if teens are engaging in dangerous driving. This includes using the phone to text or make phone calls while the vehicle is traveling more than 12 mph, traveling outside of a predetermined boundary area, staying out past curfew or speeding faster than pre-set speed limit maximum. While there is a free 7 day version, there is a monthly fee after the initial trial.

Mamabear – Mamabear takes monitoring to another level. Outside of monitoring if your child is either a passenger or driving in a vehicle that goes above a preset speed limit and notifies you, Mamabear also offers other tracking and data that other apps do not. In addition to providing speed and location details, it can also monitor texts on Android phones only at this time, social media accounts and be aware when inappropriate language or any indication of bullying are posted to their profiles by building a restricted words list. Mamabear offers monthly through 6 month plans that vary in cost per month.

CellControl – Slightly different than the other apps, CellControl is a unique program that is designed to disable only the driver’s phone, leaving other passengers free to use their phones normally. CellControl prevents behaviors that have been defined ahead of time: texting, taking selfies, using social media accounts, and playing games, among others. It can also be set to simply monitor usage to determine whether or not a teenage driver is using their phone responsibly.

TextArrest – allows parents to control the ways in which a phone can be used while in a moving vehicle. It can also be set up to notify parents when the teenage driver overrides the Text Arrestfunction, travels outside a certain geographic area, or exceeds the speed limit. The app will also allow the phone to be used in the event of an emergency with parent notification.

LifeSaver – LifeSaver uses GPS to monitor and reward drivers in an effort to break dangerous habits that lead to distracted driving in young drivers. The app blocks the ability for certain features to be used while the vehicle is in motion as well as notifying parents when drivers have arrived at their location. It features a driver portal where parents can help guide teens on the journey to responsible driving habits, and where they can set up rewards for their drivers when they demonstrate safe driving behavior.

If you are looking to find a reliable and safe vehicle for yourself and your family without jumping over the hurdles you run into at other dealerships we invite you to check out our current inventory of Used Trucks, Vans, SUVs, Cars, Commercial Vans and Work Trucks. At Broadmoor Motors, we specialize in finding the right used minivan, truck, SUV or car to fit your personal or business needs, all while giving you the best deal we can on both your purchase and trade in. Our family has been in the car business for over 60 years and continues to be family owned and operated with locations in Hastings, Wayland and Caledonia and with financing available to those who qualify. We will find you the right vehicle to fit both your budget and your needs!

Let Broadmoor Motors save you time and money when buying your next quality, Pre-Owned Car, Family Minivan, All Wheel Drive SUV, Commercial Van or Work Truck. Whether you need to replace your current car, minivan, truck or SUV with a great used vehicle, we can help you out. Broadmoor Motors is here for all your Car Sales, and Auto Service needs in the Byron Center, Kentwood, Caledonia, Middleville, Hastings, greater Grand Rapids, Wayland and Barry County area. Give us a call at 616.698.9595 in Caledonia, 269.397.2400 in Wayland or 269.320.6304 in Hastings to see how we can get you back on the road!

Are you looking for the perfect used vehicle in Grand Rapids? Here are our tips to finding just that…

Find A Trusted Dealership

Whether you’re planning on buying a new or used car, minivan, truck or SUV, finding a trusted dealership should be your first step and regardless which vehicle you are interested in purchasing may vary in options and features, one thing that should be standard is the confidence you hold in the dealership you’ll be purchasing it from. Before you buy, you should feel confident that they’ll be able to deliver a reliable and safe vehicle. An obvious place to start your search is with a dealership you’ve already had a positive experience working with. But if the perfect vehicle is at a dealership you are unfamiliar with, we highly recommend checking online reviews from previous customers to see if there are consistent complaints or to see if they dealership worked to resolve any problems buyers reported. What do their previous customers say about their experience? Are they overwhelmingly positive with only a few negatives or do their prior customers consistently say the same negative statements? While it’s nearly impossible to find any business with no negative reviews, it’s important to see if their complaint was legitimate as well as how the dealership responded to their complaints.

Decide Your Budget

Chances are before you even began searching for your the right used car, minivan, truck or SUV, you have a price point in mind you can afford to pay for it. But if you haven’t crunched the numbers to see what budget you are working within, this would be the time to evaluate your maximum budget. Next, you’ll need to know if you will be buying your next used vehicle outright or if you will need to finance it. If financing is what will work best for your situation, be sure to shop around to find the best finance rates. While you may discover a dealership like Broadmoor Motors that does not markup your interest rate to make a profit, many dealerships do make it a common practice to mark up the interest rate they show you. Shopping around ahead of time can help prevent you from being blindsided by an interest rate you might not have been expecting as well as help you find the best one available to you with your credit.

Choose Your Options

Today’s vehicles come with a lot of options that may be available with different packages but all those extra gadgets and whatnot’s can cost you more money. If you need to stay within a certain budget, it’s important to decide beforehand which options are most important to your needs or your preference, and which options are simply extra perks you aren’t willing to pay for at this time. For example, if you spend a lot of time driving to new locations for meetings or clients, navigation might be higher on the list of priorities than someone who works at the same building every day or rarely travels. Or people who live in a colder climate like Western Michigan might rank heated seats as a near necessity, whereas people living in the south may never use them. Before deciding how essential each option is, consider how often it will actually be called into use. Ask yourself if the extra options are an absolute requirement in your next vehicle or will it be just fluff that marks up the price without any real value added to your life?

Safety First

Regardless if your vehicle will be used predominantly as a family vehicle or not, safety ratings impact us all and should definitely play a role in deciding between similar vehicles. Established in 1970 to regulate the overall safety of vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues safety ratings each year based on crash protection and rollover prevention. Through testing, vehicles are given a rating of poor to excellent according to their performance during crash tests and in comparison to similar vehicles. These ratings can be a good starting point but it’s important to also take into consideration the conditions where you’ll be driving when looking at safety features.

Backed By A Warranty

Purchasing a vehicle that comes backed by a warranty may seem like an impossible find when looking for a used minivan, truck, car or SUV but it doesn’t have to be. At Broadmoor Motors, we believe your hard-earned dollars should not only get you a reliable used vehicle but one that comes backed by a 30 Day Powertrain Warranty. In addition to our standard 30 Day Warranty, we offer our customers the ability to purchase an Extended Protection Plan, which offers varying levels of coverage to meet both our buyer’s needs and their budget. Unlike many Extended Service plans, our Broadmoor Motors options are all locally administered so you don’t have to deal with calling a 1-800 number only to be told you’ll have to take your vehicle to some remote dealership you have no relationship with.

If you find yourself searching for your next used SUV, minvan, truck or car that comes equipped with AWD or 4WD, we invite you to check out our current inventory of Used Trucks, Vans, SUVs and Cars. At Broadmoor Motors, we specialize in finding the right used minivan, truck, SUV or car to fit your personal or business needs, all while giving you the best deal we can on both your purchase and trade in. Our family has been in the car business for over 60 years and continues to be family owned and operated in all of our Caledonia, Hastings and Wayland locations with financing available to those who qualify. We will find you the right vehicle to fit both your budget and your needs in a pressure free environment.

Let Broadmoor Motors save you time and money when buying your next quality, Pre-Owned Car, Family Minivan, All Wheel Drive SUV, Commercial Van or Work Truck. Whether you need to replace your current car, minivan, truck or SUV with a great used vehicle, we can help you out. Broadmoor Motors is here for all your Car Sales, and Auto Service needs in the Byron Center, Kentwood, Caledonia, Middleville, Hastings, greater Grand Rapids, Wayland and Barry County area. Give us a call at 616.698.9595 in Caledonia, 269.397.2400 in Wayland or 269.320.6304 in Hastings to see how we can get you back on the road!

2014 Ford Edge SEL FWD SUV

If you’ve been looking for a reliable SUV with a ton of great options that’s backed by a WARRANTY, then you will want to check out this 2014 Ford Edge AWD SUV!!

This Ford SUV has been Detailed and Safety Inspected, Fully Serviced and backed by a 30 day/3,000 mile Powertrain Warranty!! Equipped with a 3.5L V6 automatic transmission, this SUV is also loaded with the technology and convenience you’d expect.

Features included on this Loaded Edge are Leather Interior, Backup Camera, Power Moonroof, Keyless Entry, Touch Screen Radio, Remote Start,Power Moonroof, Excellent Tires and so much more!!

Fully Serviced, Safety Inspected, Detailed and ready for its new owner, this 2014 Ford Edge will not last long so give us a call at 269.397.2400 to schedule your Test Drive in Grand Rapids today!! To view Full Listing Details on this SUV, click HERE. Or to view our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at our Wayland Location ONLY, visit HERE. To see our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at all of our Broadmoor Motors locations in Wayland, Caledonia and Hastings, please click HERE.

Check out our reviews online and buy with confidence from a family that’s been in the business for over 60 years!! Family Owned & Operated and with Financing Available, we stand behind our Vehicles and our Warranty so you can be assured your used Car, Truck, Van or SUV will be reliable! Broadmoor Motors is your local choice for Car Sales in the greater Hastings, Middleville, Caledonia, Grand Rapids, Wayland, Byron Center, Dorr, Hopkins, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing, Lake Odesa, Kentwood, Holland, Zeeland, Moline, Cutlerville, Wyoming, Hudsonville, Grandville, Jenison, Hamilton, Ionia and Allegan. Ask about our BMG Protection Plan, this is not an aftermarket product! area. With three locations to serve you in Wayland, Hastings and Caledonia, we’re here for all your Sales & Service needs.

2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT SUV

If you’ve been looking for a 4WD ChevySUV backed by a 30 Day/3,000 mile Powertrain Warranty in Grand Rapids, then you will want to check out this 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD SUV!!

This Clean Chevy Sport Utility Vehicle has been Detailed, Safety Inspected, Fully Serviced and is backed by a WARRANTY!! Equipped with a 5.3L V8 engine and automatic transmission, this Sport Utility Vehicle also comes fully loaded with the comfort and convenience you’ve come to expect.

Fully Serviced, Safety Inspected, Detailed and ready for its new owner, this Chevy 4WD SUV will not last long so give us a call at 616.698.9595 to schedule your Test Drive in Caledonia today!! To view Full Listing Details on this Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, click HERE. Or to view our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at our Caledonia Location ONLY, visit HERE. To see our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at all three of our Broadmoor Motors locations in Hastings, Caledonia and Wayland, please click HERE.

Check out our reviews online and buy with confidence from a family that’s been in the business for over 60 years!! Family Owned & Operated and with Financing Available, we stand behind our Vehicles and our Warranty so you can be assured your used Car, Truck, Van or SUV will be reliable! Broadmoor Motors is your local choice for Car Sales in the greater Grand Rapids, Barry County and Wayland, Hastings, Middleville, Caledonia, Byron Center, Dorr, Hopkins, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing, Lake Odesa, Kentwood, Holland, Zeeland, Moline, Cutlerville, Wyoming, Hudsonville, Grandville, Jenison, Hamilton, Ionia and Allegan area. With three locations to serve you in Hastings, Caledonia and Wayland, we’re here for all your Sales & Service needs.

2013 Chevrolet Equinox 1LT AWD SUV

If you’ve been looking for a ChevySUV backed by a 30 Day/3,000 mile Powertrain Warranty in Hastings, then you will want to check out this 2013 Chevy Equinox SUV!!

This Clean Equinox has been Detailed, Safety Inspected, Fully Serviced and is backed by a WARRANTY!! Equipped with a 2.4L engine and automatic transmission, this Sport Utility Vehicle also comes fully loaded with the comfort and convenience you’ve come to expect.

Fully Serviced, Safety Inspected, Detailed and ready for its new owner, this Chevy SUV will not last long so give us a call at 269.320.6304 to schedule your Test Drive in Hastings today!! To view Full Listing Details on this Chevrolet Equinox SUV, click HERE. Or to view our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at our Hastings Location ONLY, visit HERE. To see our Entire Inventory of Quality, Pre-Owned Vehicles at all three of our Broadmoor Motors locations in Hastings, Caledonia and Wayland, please click HERE.

Check out our reviews online and buy with confidence from a family that’s been in the business for over 60 years!! Family Owned & Operated and with Financing Available, we stand behind our Vehicles and our Warranty so you can be assured your used Car, Truck, Van or SUV will be reliable! Broadmoor Motors is your local choice for Car Sales in the greater Hastings, Middleville, Caledonia, Grand Rapids, Wayland, Byron Center, Dorr, Hopkins, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing, Lake Odesa, Kentwood, Holland, Zeeland, Moline, Cutlerville, Wyoming, Hudsonville, Grandville, Jenison, Hamilton, Ionia and Allegan. Ask about our BMG Protection Plan, this is not an aftermarket product! area. With three locations to serve you in Wayland, Hastings and Caledonia, we’re here for all your Sales & Service needs.